1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp having a light guide and a reflector.
2. Related Art
A vehicle lamp may have a light guide extending in one direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the lamp, a light source arranged to input light into the light guide from the longitudinal end of the light guide, and a reflector disposed behind the light guide and extending in the same direction as the light guide.
For example, a related art vehicle lamp has a ring-shaped light guide having a circular cross section and extending in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the lamp (see, e.g., JP 2004-235153 A). This vehicle lamp has a reflector disposed behind the light source to forwardly reflect the light leaking rearward from reflecting elements on a rear surface portion of the light guide so as to cause the light to reenter the light guide and then exit the light guide from a front surface portion of the light guide.
According to the related art vehicle lamp described above, not only the light internally reflected by the reflecting elements, but also the light leaking rearward from the reflecting elements can be used effectively as irradiation light of the lamp.
However, as for the light reentering the light guide after leaking rearward from the light guide and being reflected by the reflector, it is difficult to control the direction in which the light exits from the front surface portion of the light guide with high accuracy.